Dems double down on government spending in face of stimulus fail

House Democrats this week have amplified their calls for new spending on infrastructure and other federal projects in the face of May’s discouraging job-creation figures.

Even as Republicans are insisting on "trillions" of dollars in spending cuts, Democrats maintain that a targeted injection of additional federal dollars in the near-term would go a long way toward reversing the hiring slump. Friday’s disappointing job report, they say, only bolsters their case.

I’ll again remind readers that it was the Obama administration and Democrats who said that if we’d give them the almost one trillion dollars in borrowed stimulus money, they’d keep unemployment under 8%. And, of course, the plan was to spend all that money on “infrastructure and other federal projects”.

Worked real well didn’t it?

Now, with much of every dollar spent still coming from borrowed money, they want to repeat the failure while saddling the economy with even more debt?

It all comes down to what they believe the role of government to be:

"The American people, while concerned about the deficit, place much more emphasis on job creation, and they see a role for the government," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) told The Hill. "A fast injection of job stimulus on the public side would help tremendously. … It [the job report] helps our argument about investment."

No. It wouldn’t “help tremendously”. If that were the case, the stimulus would have helped “tremendously” and we’d be looking at less than 8% unemployment as promised instead of 9.1%. But as is obvious to everyone but Democrats, it didn’t help at all. In fact, considering that 9.1% unemployment rate, it can be argued that things got worse.

That’s because where the government actually could help, it won’t, can’t or isn’t willing to help. Deregulation, for instance. Make it easier for businesses to do business and hopefully expand and hire. They can quit making war on the private sector as well. The NLRB’s shameless politically motivated attempt to shut down Boeing in South Carolina at the behest of unions. The seemingly permanent moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico and the slow-walking of the permit process that has crippled domestic oil and gas production and cost thousands of jobs and millions, if not billions, in economic impact. Cut taxes and leave more in the pockets of both consumers and business. Cut spending – deeply – and quit borrowing money.

Unfortunately, all that is boring economics and at conflict with the “government is the answer” mindset that is prevalent in Democratic circles:

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said that only in Washington is targeted new spending being demonized.

"Once you get outside the Beltway, almost everyone agrees that we should be rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and investing in clean American energy that reduces our dependence on oil," Blumenauer said.

I have no idea where this guy gets this nonsense, but I live out here and I don’t hear anyone claiming that the solution to our problem lies in “rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure” and “investing in clean American energy”. Not once have I heard the typical Americans I know ever mention those two options as how government should be responding.

So either Rep. Blumenauer has selective hearing, or he’s making it up on the fly. Most people I’ve talked too are convinced that government is the problem, not the solution. That government can contribute to a recovery by getting the heck out of the way, quit throwing road-blocks in front of business, reduce taxes and cut spending and getting its own house in order.

But double down and increase spending on make work and pie-in-the-sky energy projects?

8 Responses to Dems double down on government spending in face of stimulus fail

Once you get outside the Beltway, almost everyone agrees that we should be rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and investing in clean American energy that reduces our dependence on oil

Really? Everyone I talk to says the economy sucks and gov’t spending is out of control – I guess Rep Blumenauer and I travel in different circles though. I travel in the circles where you can’t spend other peoples money

They can’t sing a different song now – they’re in Krugman mode – 20 years of outrageous spending ought to be undone by 6 months of attempts to control it or it proves spending control is a complete waste of time and is a completely failed economic policy.

If they backed off now, their messiah would be demonstratively wrong in the midst of his campaign for a renewal on his 4 year option to wreck the US.

John and looker hit the nail on the head: more spending is the dems’ default position, especially when an election is on the line. It also provides a nice way to funnel tax money to unions, which then finds its way to democrat campaign coffers. What a scam.

McQ – Most people I’ve talked too are convinced that government is the problem, not the solution. That government can contribute to a recovery by getting the heck out of the way, quit throwing road-blocks in front of business, reduce taxes and cut spending and getting its own house in order.

I suggest that most people don’t give a damn either way: they just want SOMEBODY TO FIX THE PROBLEM. Oh, and don’t cut off their Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, or their cousin’s job at the Dept. of Redundant Departments.

While I’d like to see Uncle Sugar spend money on roads and bridges (an actual power found in the Constitution), I have to sneer at anybody who tries to pitch this sorry line again. After months of yapping about “shovel ready projects” and fancy Obama road signs all over the country, the roads are still in disrepair and more people are out of work. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me all the time… why, yes, I’m a democrat, why do you ask?

“House Democrats this week have amplified their calls for new spending on infrastructure and other federal projects in the face of May’s discouraging job-creation figures.”
It stems from different priorities, Economic growth is seen as harming precious “mother earth”, and a fundamental misunderstanding of where jobs actually come from.